After a successful debut run in Johannesburg, Design Week South Africa 2025 is bringing its dynamic creative programme to Cape Town from 23-26 October. The Mother City is set to become a playground for design enthusiasts, with a carefully curated selection of exhibitions, talks, studio tours, and community-focused initiatives that celebrate both local talent and the broader African design narrative.

A celebration of local creativity

The four-day festival kicks off with an official opening party at One Park on Friday 23 October, featuring DJs from both Cape Town and Johannesburg, before concluding with a closing celebration at Cape Grace Hotel with Jazz Alley on Sunday 26th. But it’s what happens between these bookends that truly showcases the depth of South Africa’s design landscape.

Central to this year’s programme is The Things We Love exhibition, curated by Design Week’s Simone Schultz in partnership with Bielle Bellingham. Running throughout the festival at 107 Castle Street, this intimate showcase presents local creatives’ favourite South African designed and made items, deliberately chosen from their own homes. Featured contributors include Masego Morgan, Koos Groenewald, and Onesimo Bam – offering visitors a deeply personal insight into what resonates with the country’s design community.

Conversations over coffee

Following its successful Johannesburg debut, Morning Sessions returns with a refreshingly informal approach to design discourse. Rather than traditional conference halls, these conversations unfold in the city’s cafés – specifically at Max Bagels at One Park, where leading creatives share their inspirations, challenges, and ideas over coffee each morning from Thursday to Sunday (9am to 10.30pm).

The Cape Town lineup includes Yoko Choy from Wallpaper China, Amy Thompson from Yes & Studio, Max Melville from The MAAK, and Star Shongwe from The V&A Watershed. This format exemplifies Design Week’s commitment to accessibility, bringing industry insights directly into the urban fabric.

Immersive experiences and exclusive access

For those seeking deeper engagement, the programme offers several unique experiences. Ari’s Listening Room returns to TONIC’s Cape Town showroom with sound by Bang & Olufsen, where Thursday through Saturday, two-hour listening sessions are facilitated by artists and vinyl collectors.

Studio tours provide rare behind-the-scenes access to some of Cape Town’s most innovative design spaces. Highlights include visits to Laurie Wiid of Wiid Design, Ploy and Guy of Hoi P’loy, Heather Moore of Skinny laMinx, and a tour of the new mixed-use Longkoof Precinct in Park Road by dhk architects and Studio Mass.

Product launches add another layer to the programme, with Cape Cobra, Curacion Collection and Yamkela Mhlelehlele presenting new work. Particularly noteworthy is furniture designer Tshidzo Mangena of Locha Design, who will launch his new outdoor furniture collection, Akan, with a street-activating lounge installation outside One Park on Friday 23 October.

Beyond the city bowl

Design Week South Africa’s commitment to inclusivity extends beyond Cape Town’s city centre. Open Langa launches on 26 October with a special Open Streets Day, transforming King Langa Libalele and Lerotholi Avenue into vibrant, car-free public spaces. The ReBuilt Cape Town exhibition at 16 on Lerotholi, presented by Bauhaus Earth with local partners including the Masakhe Foundation and African Centre for Cities, anchors this community-focused initiative.

The Active Mobility Forum will lead community rides from both the CBD and Khayelitsha, marking the beginning of weekly street closures that celebrate movement, culture and reimagining Cape Town’s streets for people rather than cars.

Perhaps most significantly, the Soweto-Caracas Community Centre in Khayelitsha opens to the public for a special site visit on Saturday 25 October. Hosted by Young Urbanists and Urban Think Tank Empower, this rare opportunity offers insight into community-led design and local upliftment. Transport is provided by Loop Taxi, with all proceeds supporting the local community.

A democratic design vision

‘It’s important for any contemporary design programme to be as democratic as possible for the public to interact but also include design-related topics from urban planning to architecture,’ explains Young Urbanists member and Design Week curator Roland Postma. ‘South Africa is largely an urbanised country, and design holds the keys to not only address apartheid spatial planning but also to forge the contemporary African city.’

This philosophy permeates the entire programme, challenging conventional notions of what design events can achieve. Rather than simply celebrating aesthetic achievements, Design Week South Africa positions design as a tool for social transformation and community empowerment.